Free
by sasha56dance
Summary: Reyna remembers her amazing time on Circe's island. And the day Percy Jackson sent it all tumbling down. Reyna's past weighs her down from doing everyday tasks. But will she ever rid herself of this weight, will Reyna ever be free? One-shot. Story better than summary. Challenge from animegal1357.


**Thanks to animegal1357 for giving me this challenge. The theory being that if I finished this challenge on the eighth I could give her any type of challenge and she'd have to do it. So HA! SUCKER! Anyway here is the criteria that animegal gave me.**

***3 page long, Percy Jackson One-shot.**

***The character must deal with either a happy, sad, nostalgic, or mental break-down type of situation.**

***One quote must be used in the story and be relevant to the plot.**

**So anyway here is your story. Please R and R :D**

* * *

><p>"<em>Sometimes you just have to make peace with your past in order to keep your future from becoming a constant battle." ~ Susan Gale<em>

One day Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano was walking through new Rome, gaining smiles, waves, and salutes as the town's people saw her pass. Being praetor was amazing, it really was, and in Reyna's opinion it was the best job in the world. The position of praetor held great power, responsibility and respect, three qualities she strived to receive from others. Being a daughter of Bellona she was the most suited for the job. But today her rough, stern, poker face exterior was being replaced by a nostalgic, yet slightly angry expression, her true emotion's slowly shining through.

Today was the anniversary of the destruction of Circe's island. She walked towards her favorite spot in the city, the Garden of Bacchus, to reflect and clear her mind. Reyna walked into the garden and stared at the grapevine canopy over her head, breathing in the smell of honeysuckle and jasmine. The scent alone reminded Reyna of her time at C.C's spa and resort. She stopped at the terrace, admiring the gorgeous city. Shops lined every street, young demigods and legacies strolled on the college campus, and little children ran around, laughing and playing. It was hard for Reyna to remember the last time she laughed a true, real laugh.

Usually she could forget. Push her memories to the back of her mind and think about different tasks. But today was different. Today, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't force herself to think of something else. Images of her as young girl smiling in a beautiful white dress raced through her mind. She remembered her sister, discovering the secrets of magic, elation spread across her face. She recalled the day her instructor was killed, Hylla and herself were put into chains, pirates stole everything in sight, and Percy Jackson's arrival on the island, changing her life forever.

When she was on the island, Reyna was very happy. She had a warm bed to sleep in, delicious food to eat, and her sister at her side . She felt truly loved there, and had people who cared for her. Even though years had passed, Reyna could still feel all the good emotions she had experienced on that island. Joy, excitement, hope, and awe. Except that before she could feel the energy course through her veins, now it was a dull, painful, lonely ache. She would have been able to grow up, learn hexes and spells, and live in paradise forever. She would have been free.

* * *

><p>The morning Percy Jackson and his friend arrived on her island was just like any other. She greeted them just like she had been told, and whisked the blonde girl off to be pampered while her mistress tended to the boy. The girl was polite enough, but she looked uncomfortable with the whole make over aspect. Even though Reyna worked at the spa, she never really liked makeup either, and having people touch her face and hands made her feel awkward. Maybe if things went well that day the two girls could have been friends.<p>

Reyna would have never thought that her happiness would end that day. Less than two hours later her world had been turned completely upside down. Blackbeard and his men over powered Circe, locking her away in a cell impervious to magic. With their protector week and detained her students had no choice but to fend for themselves. They fought hard, but the pirates were too strong. Soon the island was in complete and utter chaos. Buildings were destroyed, fires burned down the gardens, pirates looted everything in sight, and Reyna and her sister were locked away.

The workers became slaves to Blackbeard and his friends, forced to pour their wine and massage their feet. Sometimes Reyna would see the older girls disappear into rooms with some of the men, only to hear pleads and screams from the other side of the door. After a while the girls would come out crying with their dresses ripped to shreds. Hylla told her not to think about it, but Reyna had a pretty good idea of what happened behind those doors. Just to think that she or Hylla could have been in one of those rooms…well the thought of it just made her sick to her stomach.

A few nights later her older sister decided that she wanted out.

"Reyna," her sister had whispered, shaking her awake, "wake up, we have to go."

"What, Hylla it's so early, where are we going? "She asked, half-asleep.

"We're leaving," Hylla had a stern expression on her face. "The situation is getting worse every day. I know you love this place, but it's time to find another home."

Reyna nodded her head in understanding. She got up and packed her bags. Just as they were about to leave she turned to her sister. "Wait what about the others?" Even when she said it Reyna knew the answer.

Her sister gave her a look. "You know we can't take them." Hylla hugged her little sister. "I'll miss them and I care for them as much as you do. But you know, in your heart of hearts that we can't bring them." Hylla looked over her shoulders at her sleeping comrades. "I'm scared to think of what could happen to them, but our safety is my main priority.

Reyna looked into her sisters dark eyes and steadied her gaze. "Alright let's go."

Together they crept out of the room. Two guards noticed them leaving, but before they could call for help the girls disarmed them and started a fight. Reyna managed to grab the dagger from the man's belt and stabbed him the back. It helped to be underestimated sometimes. She stared at the man with a mix of pride and disbelief, until she heard her sisters strangled scream.

Reyna turned to see a man choking Hylla, pinning her up against a wall with her feet dangling just above the ground.

"Well aren't you a pretty one." He said to Hylla, whose cheeks were turning blue. "Maybe I'll spare you, we've been looking for a new toy." He hissed into her ear. "Yes, Blackbeard's going to be very h-" Reyna bashed him in the back of the head with a brick.

"Are you alright?" Reyna asked.

"Ya, I'll- I'll be okay." Her sister stuttered. She was obviously incredibly shaken by the incident, but continued walking with Reyna, straight into the shadows of the night.

That night the two sisters had a couple of fights and many close calls. They eventually made it to the shore were they found one of Circe's emergency boats; the only boats with spells strong enough to protect from the Sea of Monsters. Together they rowed out into the ocean following a bright red-silver light, the colors of the war goddess herself.

* * *

><p>Reyna sat down on the terrace bench, head in her hands. She ran one of her hands down her long, dark braid. This day always brought her great sadness. That was the reason she came to the Garden of Bacchus every year. So no one could see the hurt etched across her beautiful features, or the steady trickle of tears roll down her cheeks.<p>

Suddenly a woman's annoyed voice echoed in her head. "_You are stronger than this." _The voice spoke with authority and power, like a mountain that could never, ever be moved.

_Mom?! _Reyna exclaimed.

The voice in her head didn't respond, she just continued speaking._ "I know it's difficult, but you, my daughter, are a warrior, a child of Rome. A true warrior knows when they need to surrender. I know it seems like the weak thing to do, but sometimes you just have to make peace with your past in order to keep your future from becoming a constant battle."_

Before Reyna could ask why her mother had never talked to her before, the voice in her head vanished. She could literally feel that part of her mind fog up, like someone had closed the curtains on the window of her thoughts.

Voices? _Really?!_ Reyna thought she was going crazy. Of all people to talk to her in her head, her mother. The immortal goddess of war trying to contact a female teenage demigod with emotional issues. Right. She was pathetic. Who was she in comparison to people like Ares, Bellona, even Circe?

The teenager took one more look over the terrace to the city of New Rome. She was not nothing. She was a child of Rome, praetor of the twelve Legion, and daughter of Bellona. A daughter of war. She stared at the ground again to the groups of children buying gelato in the streets. It was her reasonability to protect them. She would not have their lives follow the fate of herself and her sister. Whether she liked it or not she would protect them, it was her destiny as a child of Bellona. The lives of legacies, centurions, legionnaires, shopkeepers, demigods, even children rested in her hands. If a stupid _day_ could make her breakdown and forget her duties to these people, she wouldn't be fulfilling her promise as praetor. As a roman. As a sister.

Reyna realized that being home sick was ridiculous. This was her home. Even though Hylla wasn't here she still had a family. Looking back, she had more than she ever had on the island. She had people who respected her, talked to her, cared for her, maybe even loved her. Reyna looked down at the temple of Bellona, then at the sky. It was late in the day so the stars twinkled in the dark. At that moment Reyna looked up at the constellations slowly forming in the heavens.

Reyna did something she hadn't done in a long time. She forgave. She removed some of the hatred in her heart. She forgave the pirates for destroying her home. She forgave her sister for leaving her to join the Amazons. She forgave her mother for leaving her and her sister when they were young. She forgave Percy Jackson for starting this all in the first place.

Reyna tilted her head to the stars, wind blowing her braid. With every person she forgave, her body felt lighter. With every person she forgave, Reyna felt free.


End file.
